Volume One, Chapter 15: Child, Following Me Has Caused You Suffering...

Xia Yang turned on his computer. Since he had to wait anyway, he decided to pass the time by playing a few rounds of "Naraka: Bladepoint."

...

Time slipped away little by little as Xia Yang focused intently on the game.

Meanwhile, Su Yixue, having finished watching a movie on her own computer, felt a wave of boredom. She glanced over at Xia Yang’s screen and asked curiously, “Is this game fun?”

“Not bad. If I don’t play for a day, I feel restless all over. One match and I’m good for the whole day.”

Su Yixue blinked in confusion.

“Want to give it a try?”

“Sure.”

After Xia Yang started a simple match against AI opponents, he made room for her and stood beside Su Yixue to guide her.

“These are the movement keys—forward, backward, left, and right.”

“The mouse buttons on both sides are for attacking. Press both together to perform a blade shake…”

To Xia Yang’s surprise, Su Yixue’s comprehension was astonishingly quick. After a brief period of trial and error, she was able to perform basic maneuvers with impressive skill.

When the AI match ended, Su Yixue unsurprisingly clinched first place. She then returned to her seat and launched "Naraka: Bladepoint" on her own computer.

“Is it fun?”

“Quite entertaining.”

Watching Su Yixue register an account, Xia Yang’s face softened into a warm smile. Helping someone else get hooked on "Naraka" was truly a noble deed!

The two quickly teamed up for duo matches. As time passed, Su Yixue’s gameplay grew smoother and more confident. Before they knew it, three hours had flown by.

Su Yixue removed her headphones and rubbed her temples.

Having been raised under the guidance of elders to maintain good habits of early to bed and early to rise, she had rarely stayed up late, no matter how busy work got.

Tonight’s rare all-nighter left her a bit tired but not unpleasantly so.

Xia Yang stretched lazily and glanced at the clock: just past two in the morning.

He then looked toward the internet cafe’s entrance. Because it was in the old district, the streets were shrouded in darkness, with even the streetlights long extinguished.

“Most likely, no one else is coming,” Xia Yang said. Usually, those who intended to stay overnight showed up around eight or nine in the evening. He had never heard of anyone arriving at two in the morning.

Unless they had been kicked out by family...

---

Su Yixue nodded and surveyed the hired thugs around them. Though none seemed overtly sleepy, most lacked enthusiasm. Only a few younger guys were still passionately immersed in their games.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. If no one shows up, that’s all we can do for tonight.”

“If you’re tired, you can get some rest first,” Su Yixue suggested.

Xia Yang shook his head. When it came to staying up late, he was an expert!

Just as he was about to start another game, footsteps echoed from the front door.

Xia Yang and Su Yixue turned their heads instantly, and the thugs—though appearing engrossed in their games—quickly cast sidelong glances toward the entrance.

“It’s the internet cafe manager, here for the overnight stay,” someone remarked.

A man in a deep blue hoodie walked in.

“Hey, Brother Li, still coming online this late?” The manager recognized him immediately. While expertly operating the computer, he greeted him warmly.

“Still using Station One? I’ve been keeping it reserved just for you!”

“By the way, I’ll split the overnight fee with you!”

“I drank too much last night and just woke up not long ago,” the man called Brother Li chatted casually as he paid and headed straight to Station One.

Xia Yang observed the entire scene from a short distance.

Though the man’s outfit differed somewhat from before, the conversation with the manager confirmed he was a regular.

Most importantly, the man never once produced an ID while using the station.

In small-town internet cafes, this might not be unusual for regulars, but combined with what Su Yixue had shared earlier, suspicion naturally arose.

“His features resemble that employee from the company. The manager called him Brother Li, and the former employee’s name was Wang Li,” Su Yixue noted as she observed.

“By the way, I’ve always wondered: Are people like this really left unchecked by crime prevention? Does that mean I could just go around killing and burning at will?”

Xia Yang voiced a question that had long troubled him.

This time, the victim was Su Yixue’s car, which had awakened their contract demon. But what if these perpetrators targeted ordinary, defenseless people who had no idea what was happening?

“There’s a special unit, the 749 Bureau, that handles these cases. But with the recent surge in awakened individuals, their manpower is stretched thin. So unless there’s solid evidence, they usually won’t act. Most they’ll do is offer bounties to some social factions to deal with it.”

“But you don’t need to worry too much. If anyone gets hurt, they’ll immediately bring the criminals to justice,” Su Yixue explained.

Xia Yang nodded in understanding, then pointed toward Station One and asked, “Should we confront him now?”

---

“Let’s confirm first,” Su Yixue said, lightly flicking her sleeve. The space within it rippled slightly as Sherry instantly emerged.

Xia Yang stared in surprise. “A spirit orb?”

Su Yixue shook her head. “It’s Sherry’s own ability. She can warp space to create a small refuge for herself.”

“That’s pretty handy…” Xia Yang reached into his pocket, gently rubbing Yatina’s forehead and letting a tear escape the corner of his eye.

“Child, I’m sorry for making you suffer…”

At this moment, Yatina was still sound asleep, oblivious to the surroundings.

Su Yixue cradled Sherry and gave her a meaningful look. The little creature understood immediately, turning her head toward Station One.

Closing her eyes, Sherry sniffed the air carefully.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and gave Su Yixue a confirming glance.

“It’s confirmed—there’s a demonic presence on him,” Su Yixue said decisively.

“Great! I’m going to slap that little punk now!” Xia Yang rolled up his sleeves and was about to rise but was stopped by Su Yixue.

“Don’t start a fight in the internet cafe. Find a way to lure him outside.”

Xia Yang hesitated briefly, then pondered.

He stroked his chin and glanced Su Yixue up and down.

Su Yixue immediately caught on to what he was thinking. Her gaze turned icy as she lifted her foot and pressed it firmly onto the top of his foot.

The strength of her boot was just enough to crush Xia Yang’s budding idea.

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll try seduction…” Xia Yang whimpered.

“Stop fooling around and think of a plan,” Su Yixue said sternly. “It’ll be even tougher after dawn.”

Xia Yang’s expression grew serious. Then his eyes lit up as he leaned in and whispered something into Su Yixue’s ear.

The breath tickled her slightly, but she paid no mind. After hearing his idea, she thought it over briefly and nodded.

“Worth a try.”